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ABB Startup Challenge 2025

Turning intelligence into impact

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 Apply by February 4 

The 5 challenges

Unlock your Startup potential with one of our 5 tracks

Our Journey

Apply now
Feb 4

 
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Feb 4

Apply now

Apply promptly, as applications are reviewed continuously during the application period

10-day Challenge
March 10
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March 10

10-Day Challenge

Collaborate with ABB experts to uncover new business opportunities, fully equipped with insights from pre-coaching webinars

Finalists Selection
March 21
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March 21

Finalists Selection

Selection of startups who will compete in the Grand Finale

Grand Finale
April 9-10
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April 9-10

in Bilbao

Grand Finale

Final pitching event and award ceremony featuring ABB's top executives, marking the beginning of a new business journey

Collaboration
May-Oct
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May-Oct

Collaboration

Continued development and collaboration with the winners

Go-to-market
Q4, 2025
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Q4, 2025

Joint go-to-market and exploration of growth opportunities

Winners Package

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Collaboration financing

  • $30,000 to collaborate and develop the solution (MVP – Minimal viable product) with ABB 

  • Opportunity to show and share the solution in a pilot or customer test case 

  • Access to lab environments we jointly use with customers, allowing ABB customers to actively experience the solution and share their feedback 

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Hear from our Alumni

Applicants are welcomed to participate in one or more of the following challenge tracks:

2022 ABB Electrification Distribution Solutions Challenge winner

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Pratexo, United States


"ABB has been a great partner to work with, the speed with which they been able to operate and the engagement with us at all levels has been really incredible."

Tallarna, United Kingdom


"The challenge was a really important stepping-stone in the development of the company and the product."

Applicants are welcomed to participate in one or more of the following challenge tracks:

2021 ABB Electrification Smart Power Challenge winner

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Applicants are welcomed to participate in one or more of the following challenge tracks:

2020 ABB Electrification Smart Buildings Challenge winner

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Mavenoid, Sweden 


"As you're pitching to ABB, make it real, turn it into a real usecase, show how you can provide value".

Alumnis ABB

2024 Startup Challenge Highlights

Overview of the Final Event 

Explore the two-days event  

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Last year’s winner’s podcast 

Listen to insights from our previous winners 

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Official press release 

Access the official statements here

ABB Startup Challenge 2025

Hosted by ABB & SynerLeap, Partnered by Microsoft

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ABB
Helping industries become leaner and cleaner. ABB is a global technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and re-source-efficient future. By connecting its engineering and digitalization expertise, ABB helps industries run at high performance, while becoming more efficient, productive and sustainable so they outperform. At ABB, we call this ‘Engineered to Outrun’. The company has over 140 years of history and more than 105,000 employees worldwide. 
www.abb.com

SynerLeap powered by ABB
By bringing startups, ABB, industrial partners and our customers together through our innovation growth hub SynerLeap, we ignite innovation transfer across industries, ranging from industrial automation, and robotics to grid technologies, smart cities, buildings and transportation technologies. So far we have created more than 260 collaborations, together with our 240 startup members from 26 countries. SynerLeap brings in up to 4 new members monthly, and one new ABB collaboration is starting every week. Sandvik, Microsoft, Hitachi Energy and IBM are just a few examples of our partners that together bring value into our entrepreneurial ecosystem. We are open to international members!
www.synerleap.com

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Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft)
Microsoft enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. With the dedicated Microsoft for Startups Program, Microsoft helps cloud-based startups with a B2B focus growand scale through a global ecosystem of customers and partners. The focus is on building a long-term partnership with the startup, while ensuring thatintellectual property is always owned by the inventors and founders.

www.microsoft.com/startups

© Copyright 2025 ABB    Provider information/Impressum   Privacy Notice 

HOSTED BY

PARTNER

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ABB
Let’s write the future. Together.
ABB is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 105,000 talented employees in over 100 countries. 
www.abb.com

SynerLeap powered by ABB
By bringing startups, ABB, industrial partners and our customers together through our innovation growth hub SynerLeap, we ignite innovation transfer across industries, ranging from industrial automation, and robotics to grid technologies, smart cities, buildings and transportation technologies. So far we have created more than 220 collaborations, together with our 180 startup members from 26 countries. SynerLeap brings in up to 4 new members monthly, and one new ABB collaboration is starting every week. Sandvik, Microsoft, Intertek, Hitachi Energy, Epiroc and IBM are just a few examples of our partners that together bring value into our entrepreneurial ecosystem. 
We are open to international members!

www.synerleap.com

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft)
Microsoft enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. With the dedicated Microsoft for Startups Program, Microsoft helps cloud-based startups with a B2B focus grow
and scale through a global ecosystem of customers and partners. The focus is on building a long-term partnership with the startup, while ensuring that
intellectual property is always owned by the inventors and founders.

www.microsoft.com/startups

© Copyright 2023 ABB    Provider information/Impressum   Privacy Notice 

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